FOUNDEDFOUNDED BY BY PRESENTEDPRESENTED BY BY 2018 GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS BFF 2018 OVERVIEW FILMS Welcome Letter ...........................02 Welcome ......................................43 The Box About BFF ....................................03 Legacy Series ........................ 44–45 BFF Foundation .................... 04–05 Spotlight Films ..................... 46–55 Directed by Tracey Aivaz The Facts .............................. 06–07 Competition Narrative .......... 56–61 Inaugural Academy Gold Intern About Geena Davis Institute .......08 Competition Documentary ... 62–66 About Bentonville ........................10 Competition Shorts .............. 68–73 About Northwest Arkansas.........11 Competition Episodic ........... 74–76 Getting Around ..................... 12–13 AWARDS Ticketing.......................................14 Awards .........................................79 HIGHLIGHTS Jury Members ..............................80 Special Event Experiences ..........17 How to Stay Connected ..............80 Special Event Films .....................18 THANK YOU VIP Experiences ...........................19 Festival Credits ..................... 82–83 Don’t Miss ............................. 20–21 Festival Partners ................... 84–85 DISCUSSION EVENTS Disclaimer: All flms, titles, and scheduled Wednesday ..................................23 guests were accurate at the time of printing. Film descriptions included in this program are Thursday ............................... 24–25 intended to give the audience a brief overview. Visit bentonvilleflmfestival.com or download Friday .................................... 26–27 our app to read more, view trailers, and stay Congratulations to our 4th director, updated on last minute schedule changes. Saturday .......................................28 Tracey Aivaz in creating her version of a Walmart Box short flm premiering SCHEDULE at this year’s festival. She joins the ranks Tuesday ................................. 30–31 of the three who premiered their flms Wednesday ........................... 32–33 on Oscars® night. See all the flms at: Thursday ............................... 34–35 walmart.com/thebox Friday .................................... 36–37 Saturday ................................ 38–39 Sunday .................................. 40–41 Bentonville Film Festival 2018 1 WELCOME TO THE ABOUT BFF 4th Annual Bentonville CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 the ability to efect real change on Inclusion a commercial level. In our 4th year Film Festival! we will accelerate our focus on immediate change and action. is Key If this is your frst time at BFF, you’ll discover that Northwest Arkansas is an incredible place to live or visit. From amazing volunteers to exceptional venues, the local organizations and businesses all make BFF possible and outstanding. Bentonville, our home town and host city, is in the midst of a cultural and creative explosion. Some of the world’s brightest thinkers and doers are coming to town to be part of a great movement and to celebrate middle American values. In addition to the innovative hivemind that calls this city home, NWA is a bastion of arts and culture. We encourage you to take a look around! Co-founded by Academy Award® winner Geena Davis and Thank you to the creators, Inclusion Companies CEO Trevor distributors, producers, and Drinkwater, the Bentonville Film fnanciers of great inspiring, We are thrilled to host you in We are so thankful for the continued Festival is a one-of-a-kind annual inclusive content that will be beautiful Northwest Arkansas for the support from our sponsors and event that champions inclusion in celebrated during this year’s BFF. 4th annual Bentonville Film Festival! their commitment to Diversity all forms of media. Our passion is to support forward- It’s exciting to be entering our 4th & Inclusion, from our Founding thinking flmmakers, actors, writers, year of championing inclusion in all sponsor Walmart to our Presenting BFF is a yearlong platform producers, social media infuencers, forms of media. We have made a lot Sponsor Coca-Cola® and all of the culminating with an annual six-day major studios, and advertisers who of progress, however there is still a other corporations who believe in festival. It includes an impactful dedicate themselves to improving lot of work to be done to ensure the our mission. Each May, as part of Inclusion, Research, and Content gender representation and embracing content our kids consume accurately the festival, we are proud to bring Summit in partnership with inclusion. We are eternally grateful refects the gender balance and together these change-makers, Founding sponsor Walmart and for them. But mostly, we are grateful diversity of today’s world. along with content creators, Presenting sponsor Coca-Cola®. to you for supporting and welcoming infuencers, distributors, advertisers, us for another year of championing Over the last year, we’ve had and vested partners. Together, we Connecting engaged entertainment inclusion at the Bentonville Film the opportunity to collaborate discuss the progress we’ve made, industry leaders and major Festival. on mission-aligned projects at chart the path forward, and support corporate infuencers with a diverse the Essence Fest, Sundance Film inclusion in media to efect real array of storytellers afords BFF So now it is time to sit back, and Festival, and with Joey Travolta's change now. BFF sponsors generate the unique opportunity to amplify ENJOY THE SHOW! Inclusion Films. We are grateful over $1.5 trillion in annual revenue, commercially viable content, to have worked with so many employ nearly 5 million people, solutions, and initiatives that organizations that share our vision. and represent approximately 40% adequately represent the world around us. BFF seeks to discover Our mission is to ensure all media of all the media dollars spent each Geena Davis, Festival Chair and Co- inspires ALL young minds to do great year. It is a powerful group with Founder -Trevor Drinkwater, Co-Founder and foster inclusive creators to things, because “If They Can See It, efect immediate change in the They Can Be It!” CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 media landscape. 2 Bentonville Film Festival 2018 Bentonville Film Festival 2018 3 ABOUT BFF FOUNDATION BOARD OF ADVISORS Aisha Tyler Kalene Grifth Inspire Young Minds CEO, Hot MacHine Films President, Visit Bentonville Al Dominguez Kenneth Mantel to Do Great Things Senior VP MercHandising, Walmart* Vice President, Viacom Allison Tummon-Kamphuis Louis Greth Manager, CHildren’s Safe Drinking Vice President, Business Develop- Water, P&G ment, Bentonville Film Festival Amanda Whitaker Mark Lore Director, SHopper Marketing, Coca-Cola®* CEO, e-commerce, Walmart Amy Baker Meg Ryan EVP, Client Strategy & InsigHts, Actor A&E Networks Michelle W. Thomas Andrew R. Davis Global Inclusion & Diversity Leader, Global CHief Diversity & Inclusion Mars, Inc. Ofcer, Coca-Cola® Nely Galan Ben Hasan AutHor & Founder of Adelante SVP Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Movement Walmart Nikkole Denson-Randolph Bruce Dern Vice President, Special & Actor/Filmmaker Alternative Content, AMC THeatres The Bentonville Film Festival to support a systemic change Chevonne O’Shaughnessy Pam Kaufman Foundation (BFFf,) is a 501(c)(3) in the way gender and diversity President, American Cinema International President, Consumer Products & CHief Marketing Ofcer, Nickelodeon non-proft organization focused are portrayed in the media. BFFf Chris Tisi on promoting underrepresented engages content creators and media CEO, Slimfast and HNS Paul Featherstone voices in the entertainment industry industry leaders to actively support Vice President Sales & General Manager, Cody Allison through research, education, and and create content that showcases Sony Pictures Home Entertainment the support of inclusive content positive female and diverse role Senior Buyer, Walmart Salvador Mendoza production and distribution. The models while eliminating negative or Dr. Steve L.Robbins Vice President, Diversity & primary research partner of the unconscious bias and stereotyping. Speaker, Entrepreneur, Filmmaker, SL Inclusion, NBCUniversal Foundation is the Geena Davis GDGIM has clearly evidenced that Robbins & Associations, S2S Studios* Institute on Gender in Media the media children consume has an Stephen Quinn Diane Wallace (GDIGM). The foundation believes overwhelming infuence in shaping CHairman, Association of Vice President of Retail Marketing that by convening the media their view of the world and their National Advertisers Alliance for & Strategy at Coca-Cola® North ecosystem — content creators, place in it. BFFf also partners with Family Entertainment talent, infuencers, advertisers, and schools and community institutions America Suzanne C. Baker content distributors — real action that work with children to educate Harvey Millar Enterprise ArcHitect, Unilever will be taken in support of media on the challenging efects of Vice President, Sales, Walmart that accurately refects the gender stereotyping, unconscious bias, and Tim Marrin Jill Turner-Mitchael balance and diversity of our country. gender imbalance. We utilize media Associate Director, P&G Our goal is to create a seismic tools to build positive associations President, 72 West change in how media can inspire with equality-based learning models Jody Pinson young minds to do great things. and content. VP Beauty, Walmart* Working in partnership with Media has the power to infuence GDIGM, the foundation seeks to and BFFf